learning to enjoy grace

Month: December 2016

The other day my kids asked me which workout was my favorite? I just laughed. Honest? I hate every workout, every day. (Profuse apologies to my fantastic BeachBody coach Jaime Hall.) I don’t like to move it, move it. (Cue the Madagascar song) But there’s a driving reason behind why I’ve started exercising nearly daily, and it’s not guilt. Guilt is not an excellent driver. (Rainman fans, anyone?) …

Thank you for journeying with me these last eleven weeks! We did it! We’ve looked at twenty examples of biblical look up sometimes encounters, listened to songs, watched videos, and absorbed scriptures. And please know…

I woke up with a sense of dread carried over from the previous day. It hung over me like Eeyore’s rain cloud. As I lay in bed, not wanting to get up, all I could think was I’m stuck. Stuck in fear. Staying in bed was a dead end. I had to have enough faith to walk out the bedroom door and live this day. Wasn’t that the lesson God taught me…

“Look!” The kids giggled again. There, nestled between a mini Hershey bar and a tiny box of Dots was the plastic baby Jesus. And I thought, they’ve got it right: Jesus is the sweetest present yet to come. The kids’ irresistible urge to know what comes next and see the sweetness of things ahead…

Pearl Allard

“In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” ~ C.S. Lewis

I love the sunflower as a spiritual metaphor. Did you know during the sunflower’s bud stage it tracks the sun’s daily movement across the sky? I am an imperfect Son-follower learning to enjoy the grace of Jesus and on mission to nurture others to enjoy it, also — especially the one who thinks she shouldn’t. I am happily-mostly-aftered to my hero of fifteen years and am stay-at-home mama to two crazy-wonderful kids in Michigan. I’ve written for (in)courage, Breathe Christian Writers Conference, and Keys for Kids.